


The Inimitable Madam Waverly

by lilidelafield



Series: WHAT If? Challenge [12]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 12:32:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12211359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilidelafield/pseuds/lilidelafield
Summary: A What-If? Story from Section VII.The prompt: What if Mister Waverly was actually Madam Waverly? How would that change things?





	The Inimitable Madam Waverly

The Inimitable Madam Waverly

She was said to be one of the world’s most powerful women. It had never been her conscious intention or drive to be powerful in any worldly sense. She was not, and had never been ambitious in that way. She had always had a very strong sense of justice, and the knowledge that mankind might have a better chance of making and keeping peace if those bent on disruptive behaviour were put out of the way.

She was fiercely intelligent and with a strong will that over the years, following her brilliant intelligence work during the wars earned her many…not friends exactly; but allies.

Her many connections who knew they owed her in a big way were more than happy to cooperate with her when she required it, without asking too many awkward questions. If she had any kind of hold over them, neither she nor they were ever willing to say; but the fact remained that Alexis Waverly got things done. People listened to her. The entire concept of UNCLE had been her brainchild right from the start, and her position as Number One of Section One, Chief overall of UNCLE worldwide was unquestioned.

She had had her share of romances, and if she had ever entertained the thought of marriage, she had been painfully aware that her enemies would hardly resist the chance of seizing upon this opportunity to somehow penetrate this woman of steel. So, regrettably, she had chosen to sacrifice her personal life for the safety of the world. Now at her grand old age of seventy-eight, she had no children of her own. Her work was her life, her proteges were her children. Not that she would ever tell them that, of course. Her only living blood relation was her brother Alexander, who had been one of Britain’s most successful diplomats for most of his adult life. That was, at least, the official story. Whatever his real line of work, he had retired some time ago to live out his old age peacefully with his wife Katherine, and their three children, twelve grandchildren and six great grandchildren. It was to them Alexis Waverly fled on the rare occasion she felt the need to be centered and grounded.

Of UNCLE as an organization she was very proud. Not in the fact that it had been her idea, but in the vast numbers of courageous individuals who had worked hard and many even given their lives to make it a success. UNCLE had become a force for good in the world. The one organization that always kept itself and all its agents strictly neutral and its boundaries global despite the pushing and pulling of the various nations to which many of its officers belonged. 

It had been whispered that when one nation had been approached about joining UNCLE, and had demurred, making abusive accusations about secrecy and lack of integrity, once they had been informed that the originator and chief of UNCLE was Madam Waverly herself, their attitude had changed immediately. How much truth there was in that rumour, no one knew; and Waverly kept her own council.

Being a woman of power and position in what was still, to a great extent, a man’s world, she had found herself at first being cautious about breaking expected protocols. The first break in protocol was when she accepted the first female to be a field agent in section two; long before it had been considered acceptable within any other security organization.

Alice Weatheral had been a virtual clone of herself; active and intelligent, and she had served section two as a successful field agent for several years, right up until she had been killed on duty, three days before her official retirement from section two.

The loss of Miss Weatheral had been tragic, and Alexis Waverly felt it deeply, but she was not deterred from keeping her eyes open for the talent she needed, regardless of whence it came.  
Anita Bonner and Lucy Carmichael had been her next female inductees into the training school she had had her ally Cutter set up on the island they had purchased. When Cutter declared that they were not cut out for section two, Waverly was disappointed, but she accepted his decision, and the two new agents were given positions in section three, one in New York, the other in Berlin.

Her next choice had caused her fellow section one officers to question her sanity for the first time. A Soviet agent? A former KGB operative within the ranks of UNCLE? Was she out of her mind? But Waverly was anxious to have the Soviets join the ranks of UNCLE, and the Soviets had liked the idea of UNCLE agents of other countries being assigned to bring their expertise to Moscow in exchange for giving up one of their own. They had chosen a certain Illya Nikovitch Kuryakin, formerly KGB, Navy and GRU. Waverly had been impressed with the man’s CV, and after meeting with him face to face, she was certain. Kuryakin was the perfect man for the job. Even more perfect than his Soviet superiors could ever guess.

And so, following a year working in the London and Brussels offices, learning UNCLE protocols and then a very successful stint at the training school, Madam Waverly had made sure that Kuryakin was assigned to New York, where she could mentor him directly.

Waverly recalled Kuryakin’s first arrival very well, as the young man had been understandably nervous, and slightly defensive, which was forgivable given the frosty reception he had initially received due to his nationality. She had realized that the way to get the very best out of her new Soviet import was to put him into the care of someone who was truly open-hearted and welcoming. Her active and intelligent CEA, Napoleon Solo.

From the first, Alexis Waverly had been eager to encourage and explore new technologies, and she made sure that the very best, brightest and sharpest young minds were brought into UNCLE to further knowledge and research. The technologies all of these young minds had produced were staggering, much of it would change the world completely if it became public property, she had no doubt.

One of the earliest innovations had been the personal communicator in the guise of a cigarette case, but for agents who for the most part, knew better than to smoke, it had seemed an odd thing to carry around. So the technology was modified to be disguised as a pen, which would also have the ability to be a flashlight, a powerful magnet, a homing device, and in an emergency, a rapier.

She encouraged all of her field agents, sections two and three to be active in coming forward to make intelligent suggestions for new innovations, whenever they found a use for new ideas in the field.  
It was in this area she had discovered Kuryakin’s other great talent; the ability to see possibilities within impossibilities. He was able to take the often outlandish suggestions of the other agents and turn them into definite workable plans.

From the early beginnings of UNCLE, to the newest recruits to section two to arrive from Survival Island, April Dancer, Colleen Handy, Sarah Jones, George Colliss and Rupert Doherty, Alexis Waverly had her finger on the button every step of the way.

Her people were devoted to her.

No one even considered the possibility of her ever retiring. Such a thing was unthinkable. It was believed by all that without Alexis Waverly at the helm, UNCLE could not possibly survive. Sometimes she felt the twinges in her body, the result of her age; but she knew she could never retire either. She would keep going until she simply dropped dead from exhaustion. Not too soon, she hoped. In the meantime, she knew she would have to do something seriously about planning for the person to replace her. She considered Napoleon Solo…? He would be an awesome chief, but would he be happy in an office-based job? Somehow, she did not think he would.

Her brother Alexander was younger than she was by several years…that was a very definite possibility. He was a born diplomat too, which was nine-tenths of the job. Perhaps she would have a word with him…if he would be willing to suspend his retirement for a bit…

Her only other serious contender was her beloved niece Janice. Janice was already a field agent for UNCLE, currently section two number three serving the southern offices.  
But then, who knew what the future would bring? Alexis Waverly had learned that just when you thought you had life sorted, it would throw you a curve ball. There were still a few years in the old bones yet . . .


End file.
